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We extend your enterprise

4.5
13 reviews

For over a decade, Skelia has provided staff augmentation services to a diverse range of clients—from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. At present, Skelia operates through a global network of offices in Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Poland and the United States.

 

  • Business Model. Your company—your rules

We build cross border organizations as an extension of local teams and allow our clients to optionally acquire a team as a spinoff company. No volume requirements - you start with the minimum number of employees and scale-up. The open-book pricing model applies to all profiles. You stay in control of your team and your budget.

  • Skelia Dedicated Teams

The teams are organized according to the client's desired tech stack following all the requirements. For your dedicated teams, we can find and attract qualified specialists within a broad range of skills and technologies.

  • Expertise

Skelia has built more than 100 teams for European and US companies in multiple fields, including:

  • Software development: frontend / backend / mobile apps / APIs
  • CRM/ERP implementations
  • QA & testing
  • Product R&D
  • 24/7 Operations
  • Electrical engineering
  • PLC/SCADA development
  • International software deployments

Apart from building organizations, we have a complementary suite of additional services to support your organization:

  • TestLab for Apps: We test web, desktop and mobile applications.
  • Smart teams for Tech: We boost your tech start-up with highly scalable IT teams and services.
  • Mobile Studio: We create engaging mobile experiences for our clients

For detailed information, please visit: http://skelia.com/

READ MORE...
 
$5,000+
 
$25 - $49 / hr
 
250 - 999
 Founded
2008
Show all +
Lviv, Ukraine
headquarters
other locations

Reviews

4.5
13 reviews
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Managed IT Services for IT Offshoring Company

“They did about 2,000 tasks a month...”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Confidential
 
Oct. 2014 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Skelia provides managed IT services, working on a variety of services such as server patching, new service installation, upgrades, and virtualizations. They also work on the wireless network.

The Reviewer
 
1001-10,000 Employees
 
Belgium
Dominique Pierard
Operations Manager of Offshore Activities, RealDolmen/GFI
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The team delivered more than 99% of their tickets on time, with the vast majority fully addressed and requiring no further attention. They manage the work well, quickly respond to any changes and new proposals, and ensure that they address all issues on time.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations manager for the nearshore operations at RealDolmen, an ICT provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We needed help with the managed IT services that we offer to our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their people are part of the teams that serviced our customers, providing the same managed IT services as our engineers in Belgium, but from the nearshore location. They do server patching, install new services, upgrade services, work on virtualization, and do everything in the cloud-like Azure. They do networking, security, and a whole range of IT related services, also setting up our wireless network.

What is the team composition?

The governance was conducted by Olivia (Chief Human Resources Officer, Skelia) while Maria (Team Leader, Skelia) was responsible for the day-to-day operations. There was a client partner who addressed any issues, a recruitment department,. We also had a resource coordinator that made sure that people were assigned to the different tasks and a process coordinator.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

We were working with them prior to my start on the project. They had the capabilities and had already visited the locations, as well as good experience.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2014 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They did about 2,000 tasks a month and more than 99.5% of those were on time. I consider that a success. They measured the number of tickets that were handled in the nearshore location and sent to the Belgium location. 70% of those tickets never came back to the Belgium location, which was very good.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is very good. If we had scope changes or updates, they were always very quick in making a new proposal and handling the decision. We communicate via email, with a ticketing system to track trainings and visits.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very direct and we can talk to them 24/7. When we send an email, we receive an answer very quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing they need to improve. The reason we’re ending our work with them in November is because we’re integrating those services within the group. If we hadn’t become part of a bigger group, we would have stayed working with Skelia.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No.

5.0
Overall Score The collaboration was very good.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    I’d give them more than 5 if I could.
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Process Automation for Industrial Automation Organization

"The experience up until now has been very positive."

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4.5

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
4.5
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$1,000,000 - $9,999,999
 
Aug. 2017 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Skelia augmented an industrial automation company's staff with a group of highly skilled engineers. Their team works with the IT infrastructure and coding for various infrastructural automation processes. 

The Reviewer
 
201-500 Employees
 
Antwerp, Belgium
Guillaume Hallaert
Hardware Teamleader, Agidens
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The vendor provided a very motivated and hardworking team, stemming from a strong hiring process. Skelia's team provides a strong ROI and works quickly. Their communication skills and willingness to learn are impressive. 

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a hardware team leader at Agidens, an industrial automation organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We needed additional resources for the hardware engineering and design department. We looked for strong technical profiles with a love for hardware engineering.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we are hired to automate a bridge, for example, we're required to look after the functionalities of the engine. That includes bridge movement, signalization, lighting, etc. To accomplish this engineering task, Skelia provided skilled people to pick the right materials, create the correct designs, and make everything is functioning properly. They also work with process automation so that, for example, bridges are controlled and run via automated systems.

Most of the time, our IT infrastructure is custom-built. Every installation that we get to automate is different than the one before. We're more of an R&D company than a company that alters existing software.

We mostly use C#. We need their team to be constantly available because the breakdown of a structure like this is very expensive. Safety is also extremely important. These installations are placed within public spaces for everyone to access. Implementing safety is thus a very important part of the philosophy that we’re trying to build in our systems.

What is the team composition?

The top layer of the team is primarily developers. The lower layers are proof of concept (POC) engineers that make user interfaces. We have over 15 people working for us and are still looking to expand our business with them.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

Skelia promised us a good recruiting service. The quality of profiles that we were provided via the first selection process was very good. They do some preselection for us and we get profiles that are very suitable for the roles that we ask for. Putting them on our payroll is also very easy because they take care of all the technical stuff. They make sure they have the correct infrastructure, have a proper desk, and have a well-equipped office. They offer a very good service package.

How much have you invested with them?

1,000–1,500 euros ($1090–$1690 USD) per person working for us on top of their wages. The whole project is over $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

At first, it was an investment when we started with them. We needed to make sure Skelia’s team worked the way we wanted them to. After six months of work, the investment paid off. The people that are working for us are very motivated and hard-working. In electrical design, it easily saves us 30-35%. For development, it saves 10% tops but they significantly improve efficiency. The experience up until now has been very positive.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

I was pleasantly surprised by how good their communication skills are. Their work ethic is very close to ours. It’s very easy to work with them. We started off with email communication. As they grew in numbers, we set up OneNote and we have a SharePoint that we use.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very motivated. Skelia does a great job with preselection.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had to do a lot of training because the profiles we needed were a little different from what they were used to. If they had some way of first installing the lessons learned from other customers that they could have shared, that would be good. However, now they have the experience. Otherwise, it’s been a pleasure to work with them.

4.5
Overall Score
  • 4.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Custom Software Dev for Fintech Platform

“There’s a strong bond that’s grown organically because of the perfect communication.”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
Jan. 2018 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Skelia serves as a nearshore extension of a software company’s development team. They’ve assisted in developing the application, presentation and data layers of the database, utilizing SQL, .NET, C#, and more.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Belgium
Steven Hackars
Product Director, c-Quilibrium
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Skelia understands the team’s precise requirements to deliver phenomenal work. They define the clients’ needs before providing them and maintain efficiency without compromising quality. They’ve proven to be an indispensable partner and the client’s only regret is not hiring them earlier.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of c-Quilibrium, which has developed an enterprise platform used in the financial sector to manage cash supply chains. We’ve created a software methodology that allows banks and cash transport companies to manage and optimize the cash that’s being transported.

Our head office is in Belgium, but we’re expanding towards Latin America, North Africa, and parts of Central and Eastern Europe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We were looking for a partner who could independently function as our development department. We were looking to nearshore a reliable company in Belgium who could guarantee a talented team at a reasonable price. We had very long-term ambitions that were becoming impossible to realize within our current climate.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia was tasked with architecting and developing for the application, presentation, and data layers of the software. At the start of the engagement, we’d already been in business for 18 years, so we could provide a lot of information—making it a fluid transition.

The database utilizes SQL Server, and the application and presentation layers are created in .NET and C#. The typical architecture for our UI is based on MVC patterns. We use ASP.NET Razor on the frontend, and parts of our architecture are microkernel-oriented.

What is the team composition?

The team contains one person responsible for all operational account management, an HR manager, and a developer.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

We looked at a few nearshoring companies offering what we called an “extended enterprise role”, meaning that they could set up a specific development team that would work exclusively for us. That would allow us to nurture the supplementary team and guarantee its continuity.

We chose them based on the uniqueness of their model—an extended enterprise model—and the high level of service they provide us.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s been around $220,000 to date, but I think we’re going to expand well beyond that.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Skelia in January 2018 and it’s an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Skelia did a brilliant job of absorbing the required information, collecting all that they needed to know to get started rapidly. They’ve recently ensured that, despite the redevelopment of a core platform feature, we’re still staying 25% below budget. They’re able to deliver according to our projections and estimates.

The first developer that we contracted had three major assets: the maturity and stability we needed to get started, the architectural expertise to be a great leader, and the social skills to build a team around him. This member ended up being the seed of the entire project.

Skelia has taken extremely good care of our relationship with the customers. They’ve also taken very good care of my team. They’ve had excellent insights into the dynamics of how such a team should function.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication has been brilliant. Although my team is located abroad, we immediately discuss any issue that comes up. We’ve developed a clear and open common dictionary to make communication extremely fluid.

In terms of meeting deadlines, they’ve never missed one. Despite their efficiency and punctuality, they don’t compromise quality, either.

We use Jira for project management, as well as Skype and Microsoft Teams. My Belgian team almost has 4–5 hours of direct communication with Skelia’s team per day. It’s like they’re just next door and our interpersonal relationships reflect that. There’s a strong bond that’s grown organically because of the perfect communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their high-quality resources, their excellent account management are two distinguishing factors. There’s a difference between what the customer wants and what they need. In light of that, Skelia was diplomatic but effective in defining what we needed and then immediately providing it. That’s an enormous asset: they really understand their customers.

Also, since we work mostly with the developers, we sometimes forget that there’s an HR department taking great care of these guys. They’re not very visible, but they ensure an extreme level of well-being for everyone.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I could mention as an improvement for Skelia. I wish I had engaged them earlier.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

QA Testing for Sales Enablement Platform

"After several years, they’ve proven that they deliver quality work in the context that we use them."

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5.0

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
Jul. 2011 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Because of a lack of resources, Skelia’s team of QA engineers were hired for manual and automated testing. Their team works remotely on a variety of QA tasks.

The Reviewer
 
200-999
 
Ghent, Belgium
Chris De Mol
Engineering Program Director, Showpad
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Skelia’s skilled team and efficient workflow has led to continued engagement. They fit as part of the internal team. Their proactiveness was noteworthy. They’re flexible, communicative, and insightful.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the engineering program director for Showpad, a sales enablement tool that’s typically a SaaS solution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

Our company needed QA testing services. It is hard to find the right talent here in Belgium or even in the US and Poland, where we also have sites.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia deploys QA engineers for manual and automated testing. They originally started only as manual testers, but over time, their services expanded. We wanted our engineers to focus on operations, not testing.

What is the team composition?

Generally, we work with around ten people, but that depends on the workload. Since there a team of remote employees, we work directly with the engineers because there is no management overhead.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

When I started at Showpad, Skelia was already on board as a partner.

How much have you invested in them?

In total, we’ve spent between $50,000–$199,999. We agreed to review the currency rate between Euros and dollars yearly, and based on that, the rate is modified based on the current currency we have. There’s a daily fee per QA engineer, depending on skill and experience.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with Skelia began in July 2011.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We work with Skelia because they provide great QA profile candidates and engineers we can’t find in the local market. The selection of those candidates is made in a similar way we do internally. Our team is involved in that discussion and integrate them as if they’re remote employees of Showpad. They’ve become valuable team members to us. The QA testers have their own dedicated email address and have access to all the systems that all of our engineers have, which is highly appreciated by them.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

Skelia’s team is part of our daily stand up meetings. I can’t remember any performance issues with any of the candidates. The team at Skelia is proactive in asking for feedback, visiting every six to nine months for a performance review. They also check to see what our needs are to help us all better align. If there’s a need for extra people, we try to give as much insight as possible so that they can find the right candidates on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The main motivation of working with Skelia wasn’t the cost, but having the right people on board to do the projects we wanted. After several years, they’ve proven that they deliver quality work in the context that we use them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They ask me that question every six months, and to be honest, we’ve been satisfied with their services. The fact that I can’t come up with anything is significant.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

API Dev for Content Platform

“They understand the importance of a harmonious business relationship.”

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4.0

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
July 2018 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Assisting with the development of a new mobile app, Skelia built an API to support a new feature. They also renovated the backend and implemented data integration functionalities on the frontend.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Los Angeles Metro Area
Contractor, Content Platform
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Skelia was given a relatively small task, but they managed to make a huge impact. Within a few days, they resolved backend issues that had been neglected for months. Beyond their technical expertise, their accommodating business practices were a great asset for achieving the project’s goals.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a small publishing company that exclusively distributes print and visual media created by a public figure. As a contracted project manager, I oversee the company’s ongoing website and mobile app development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

The development company that we originally hired to build our mobile app were making careless mistakes on the backend, so we needed to find a reliable developer to fix their errors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia initiated the process by scanning for problems on the backend. Within a few days, they discovered issues that our other web vendor overlooked for five months. After completing the analysis, they began developing an API to support one of the mobile app’s new features. Two of their .Net developers developed the infrastructure, while another developer scripted the container system to enhance scalability. A junior developer worked on the APIs frontend data integration.  

What is the team composition?

They assigned two alternating project managers and four developers.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

Our business manager was familiar with their owner, so we interviewed them to see if they would be a good fit. Impressed by their transparent business model and technical acuity, we decided to bring them on board.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $40,000 to build the API.

What is the status of this engagement?

They started working with us in 2018. The API is complete, but we’re in negotiations for an ongoing contract with Skelia.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

While the API that they implemented on the app isn’t the most complex feature, it is the most reliable. Their work is easily scalable, their code is well-documented, and their repositories are clean.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

We only gave them a small amount of time to build the API, so they leveraged their external resources to expand their team. When one project manager was absent, the alternate was able to step in without disrupting the workflow. In addition to holding weekly meetings, they produced deliverables every two weeks to meet the final deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Skelia is comprised of an incredible team of architects, but their greatest strength lies in their transparent business model. They understand the importance of a harmonious business relationship. Their philosophies aligned perfectly with our business goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was an issue with conflicting invoices, but they We had a problem with conflicting invoices, but they cleared it up quickly. The project was too small to notice any other difficulties.

4.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Architecture Redesign for Irrigation Platform

“They’re extremely educated … [and] much better than the past companies we’ve worked with.”

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5.0

Quality: 
3.0
Schedule: 
3.0
Cost: 
3.0
Willing to refer: 
4.0
The Project
 
$1,000,000 - $9,999,999
 
Oct. 2014 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Skelia updated an existing platform, transitioning to a microservices architecture. They updated the algorithm and scheduling engine and are currently doing testing and maintenance.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Novato, California
Kevin Heverin
Director of Marketing and Product Management, ETwater
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Skelia is responsive and communicative, holding weekly meetings for project updates. The end clients are excited to use the new platform, which should provide valuable cost savings. Although the team could be more available, they’ve been an understanding and effective partner.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and product management for ETwater, a cloud-based irrigation system. It takes environmental data from multiple sources and adjusts landscape watering schedules based on weather changes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

Our legacy system was reaching maturity, and we needed a partner to help us reengineer our core technology to incorporate advances in programming.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Skelia did a complete architectural overhaul of our system, using Java. They transitioned us from a standard architecture to a microservices architecture. They enhanced our scheduling engine and improved our algorithm; our platform can now change both the frequency and duration of watering based on changes in the weather. The new platform is in beta, and Skelia manages maintenance and updates.

What is the team composition?

They provide a project manager, four backend developers, and two engineers for the frontend and UI.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

We found them through LinkedIn.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in October 2014, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Two of our major enterprise accounts have transitioned their water management to our new platform and are excited for the enhanced functionality and cost savings.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly meetings with the project manager and have direct access to their engineering staff. We frequently Skype, too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re extremely educated, comparable to Silicon Valley engineering and experience. They’re much better than the past companies we’ve worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The should have more post-release availability and be more proactive in fixing bugs once the product goes live.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Thoroughly explain your business and programming goals so that they understand what your product will be used for.

5.0
Overall Score They've been an excellent partner and are considerate of our own struggles and changes.
  • 3.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They haven’t been as available as we’d like, but it’s improving.
  • 3.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    They’re a fair cost, and we’re trying to derive greater value from them.
  • 3.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    They’ve often had to revisit the original specs to meet our expectations.
  • 4.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    I'd absolutely recommend them.

Dev Partnership with IT Consulting Firm

“They were able to immediately add value to the project.”

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5.0

Quality: 
4.5
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.5
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$200,000 to $999,999
 
April 2017 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Skelia provides outsourced development services, supplying additional resources to two different teams. They work on Hybris SAP e-commerce development and Java development.

The Reviewer
 
1001- 5000 Employees
 
Belgium
Christoph Bogaerts
Solution Owner, Delaware Consulting
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Their development efforts produce excellent results for the end client, with good quality deliverables and requests to grow the team. Though they could increase transparency in their procedures, overall they are quick, reliable, and technically sound.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Delaware is an international company, providing everything from strategy to 24/7 support. We’re primarily SAP and Microsoft vendors, and we provide customer experience solutions, from CRM and marketing applications to B2B and B2C e-commerce applications. I’m responsible for the SAP customer engagement and commerce solution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We’re looking for a company that could provide us with nearshore resources, and we needed the ability to train those resources. They had to be the same quality level as local ones. Skelia also offered testing for customers, with a dedicated testing team and a lab, which we didn’t have at all, which was another interesting aspect.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re using them on two main aspects: Hybris SAP e-commerce development and pure Java development. For the Hybris part, their resources were added as an extension to our development team. We handle the project management, while they take care of the implementation, as part of the bigger team.

What is the team composition?

We have two developers for one customer, and five for another. We’re working closely with a couple of other people from their team, one of whom is a liaison who coordinates the entire administration. She enters our tasks into the timesheets and facilitates interviews with new candidates. We’ve also been in contact with their HR manager for the yearly reviews of our resources.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

When I met Patrik (CEO, Skelia), he was already in contact with one of our partners. We had a meeting and started our first project.

We’re located in Belgium, and they’re primarily in Poland and Ukraine, with only a one-hour difference. It’s easy to work with them and they have cheaper resources, which was an important requirement for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $400,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Skelia in April 2017, and it’s an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

One of our top five customers is working with two people from Skelia, who’ve provided us with really good quality. They got in-line with our procedures quickly, and they were able to immediately add value to the project.

For our second customer, we started out with two developers as well. The customer told us that those two people were providing the same amount of work as 10 others from elsewhere. We’ve increased the team for that customer to five people as our clients are very satisfied with the quality of the work.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

The communication between the teams is very positive. They adapted to our own communications standards, they’re proactive, and they’re quick to provide responses to our questions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The thing that really amazed me is the speed with which they find new resources. In one case, we only had one or two days to provide a new resource to a customer, and they were able to deliver extremely fast. I haven’t seen that with another company yet. They also have a very qualitative profile, which isn’t easy in this market.

Are there any areas they could improve?

More transparency on their salaries would be an improvement. We discuss this at the beginning of contracts, but they could make a better overview of all the people working for us. That would take care of some of the administration, and it would help other clients.

Something else they could do is every three months or so, provide us some sample résumés from the market to see if we’d be interested in them.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

No.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.5 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Dev of Personalized Search Platform

“The combination of the tools that they’re using is working perfectly.”

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4.5

Quality: 
4.0
Schedule: 
4.5
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
May 2017 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

Skelia is assisting with the development of a digital marketplace platform. Using provided storyboards, the team creates mockups, designs, and then develops different features using a variety of technologies.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Asse, Brussels
Stefan Ceulemans
CEO, Find.me
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Skelia completed a basic version of the platform, which has received unanimously positive feedback. The team’s flexibility was instrumental to the early success of the business. As the development work continues, they remain collaborative, prepared, and committed to the project.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Find.me, a digital platform that aggregates all available data about a specific product then provides recommendations to users based on their profiles. Personal frustration drove me to start this company. I would input my information and preferences on multiple websites and platforms, and I wasn’t always happy with the results. Find.me streamlines the registration process and provides a complete overview of all of the products the market offers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We needed a vendor to help us develop the digital platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a trial phase, where Skelia put together several mockups. They recommended which technology we should use to program the platform. Based on those initial plans, the team designed the interface and started building out the solution. They used a combination of Elasticsearch, Microsoft Azure, MongoDB, and Python.

The basic platform is complete, and we’re currently working on the virtual assist. The feature is available, but we’re fleshing out its performance.

What is the team composition?

They provided four developers to augment our internal team of a PHP senior developer, a full-stack developer for the backend, and a data engineer.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

I’m not a developer myself; my background is in marketing and economics. To get a better idea of the e-commerce and IT space, I spoke with an advisory board. We considered a variety of possibilities, even looking at the options offered by the Belgian Chamber of Commerce in the US. Because most vendors in Belgium focus on AI and big data, the prices are rather high. So, I started looking for nearshore development companies that offered a wide range of skills.

I put together a shortlist and met with the senior management of each candidate. We assessed my expectations and the short-term and long-term goals of the project. The selected vendor would also have to collaborate with our team’s PhD developer and data scientist located in Belgium, as well as our Ukraine team and CTO in Panama. With all of those factors in mind, Skelia was the best choice.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent €173,000 ($196,709 USD) on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Skelia in May 2017, and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’re a startup, so we had some cash flow challenges at the beginning of the project. Skelia was flexible regarding invoicing and payments, which helped us get our business up and running. Currently, the platform supports only the automotive industry, and we’re working to expand across more verticals like the real estate and job markets.

So far, we haven’t run into a single bug. Their work has been extremely high-quality. Our CTO enjoys working with them, and we’ve received only positive feedback on the basic platform. We’ve interacted with notable brands in the automotive industry to get their products in our system, and their representatives also praise the platform.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

We started with two-week sprints. We had weekly standups, which we soon changed to biweekly. To avoid micromanaging them, we provide user storyboards, and they handle the design and development process. They work remotely from Ukraine, but it feels like they’re sitting in the same room as us. If there are any scheduling conflicts, they’ll let us know right away.

We communicate with several members of their team, but there is a point person who handles the management of our account. The representative provides feedback on meetings, information about their processes, and plans for the future. It’s not always very detailed. Over a few weeks, they replaced the original account manager, but nothing changed.

With that said, meeting with them is always very productive. Their team is well-prepared with presentations of their most recent work. We go over business insights, marketing updates, and sales information every six weeks. It keeps everyone on the same page. Overall, we can tell they’re committed to our project. They’ve even worked overtime to make sure they complete a specific task.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I like to know the team that I’m working with, and it’s crucial that they have a very collaborative attitude. We have one-on-one meetings with their staff, and it’s always enjoyable. It’s clear that the Skelia team likes working with their colleagues, which sets the foundations for strong communication. They’re a good fit for this project, not only in terms of skill but also culture.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there isn’t. The combination of the tools that they’re using is working perfectly. They’re a well-organized company, even providing their staff with team-building days.

4.5
Overall Score
  • 4.5 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 4.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Development Project for Professional Work Platform

"They worked with us to find the engineers we needed and the technology we wanted to use."

See More

3.0

Quality: 
3.0
Schedule: 
4.0
Cost: 
2.5
Willing to refer: 
3.0
The Project
 
Confidential
 
Dec. 2015 - Feb. 2017
Project summary: 

Skelia utilized technologies such as C#, VSTS, and Selenium to build an automation framework and conduct ad hoc manual testing for a survey app.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
Exton, PA
Quality Assurance Lead, Professional Work Platform
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Although they were flexible and responsive, they could benefit from expanding their technical expertise. They were faced with problems that were left unresolved, and their project management strategies could be improved. They offered a good rate, and they did develop the requested app framework.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My company measures employee engagements and helps our participating companies implement best practices to improve their productivity through work culture changes and employee engagement. I’m the QA lead, and I help test products that my company creates and helps support our mission.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

One of the applications that I test is our annual survey app. We found that a lot of companies wanted more context within the framework of the annual survey, so we built an app that ensures the content from our annual survey better enables employees to interact regularly. We call the application, Connect. We needed to manage Connect's quality in addition to testing the app, but the work involved with these tasks was more than one person could do. We also needed help creating an automation framework and conducting manual testing on an ad hoc basis.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We collaborated with Skelia to help create an automation framework for Connect, and they helped us implement it per our specifications. They also provided manual testing for us.

One of our requirements was a functional automation layer that used technology we were familiar with such as C#. Using C# was important from a support perspective. We used Selenium to interact with Connect functionally. We also used Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS), which they worked into a type of regression suite that would run ad hoc. VSTS’s test manager was used for manual testing, issue management source control, and bug management.

What is the team composition?

One automation developer from their team worked exclusively for us building the automation framework. Another person acted as a flexible, shared resource and was responsible for manually testing Connect per our request.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

We were seeking vendors, and one of our leadership team members identified Skelia. We had a discussion with them, and we found them to be flexible. Their rate was favorable as well. We evaluated them and described our needs. They were able to help us build the automation framework. They also could support our ad-hoc needs for manual testing. The deciding factor, however, was the level of comfort we felt with them. They seemed like a good fit.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in December 2015 and concluded our collaboration in February 2017. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

It’s hard to quantify the assets they built for us, but we derived value from their manual testing and from their work to build the app framework.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

This project was more loosely built, with general goals and milestones. They built the framework we requested. They were responsive, and Patrik [Founder and CEO, Skelia] was very flexible when it came to our needs. He stayed in touch with us as well. The person from their team that worked on our project typically fulfilled requests on an overnight basis.

We managed our work and requests through our issue recording system, VSTS. We managed the project using the Agile methodology and the scrum process to discuss and review the work we wanted to complete on a biweekly basis. Initially, we would meet on a daily basis, but we later met twice a week via video conference calls using RingCentral. We would communicate often through Slack as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility was commendable. They worked with us to find the engineers we needed and the technology we wanted to use.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a couple things that were challenging during our collaboration. One of the things that hindered the project was failing to meet our need for running tests on an ad hoc basis - or at least a periodic basis. Tests had to be run on our company’s test server. Yet we encountered a technical problem that prevented us from executing the tests, reporting results, and we couldn’t get past this issue. We believe they could benefit greatly from expanding their technical knowledge and experience. It would be helpful if they shared other existing approaches for addressing our project needs. 

To be fair, their management wasn't hands-off, but it would have been helpful to have them communicate more often with our management team, identify and help resolve technical impasses. Sometimes, things went down the pipeline, and then back up to me, which may not have happened if our management teams communicated. However, this isn’t a reflection of anyone specifically.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask more probing questions about the experience, expectations, and needs from the resource Skelia provides. We reached a point where we couldn't advance further. The person that was assigned to us as our resource was great, but I’m not sure that they had anyone above them that could have resolved our issues. Establish your goals. Be completely transparent with them, and be upfront with your needs. I would also require additional project management.

3.0
Overall Score I thought they were great until we reached a point where we had difficulty advancing and resolving problems.
  • 4.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 2.5 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 3.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 3.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

App Dev & Testing for FinTech Start-up Company

“They're very professional, clear, and responded quickly whenever they encountered bugs or anomalies.”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
4.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
Jun. 2015 - Mar. 2017
Project summary: 

Skelia took over from an in-house team and performed regression and UI testing for two cross-platform financial education apps in between regularly-scheduled updates.

The Reviewer
 
11-50 Employees
 
Dublin, Ireland
John Tyrrell
Co-Founder, Rubicoin
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

They were thorough, clear, and highly responsive throughout the partnership. The number of bugs reported by customers after release dropped dramatically once they took over testing the apps.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Rubicoin is a startup based in Dublin, Ireland. We create apps that teach people how to invest and advise people about stocks. I'm the co-founder and chief operating officer. Our team is 14 people at the moment, with 6 in technology and 8 in non-technical roles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Skelia?

We have a relatively small tech team within our overall development team. We'd been doing a lot of the testing and reviewing in-house, and we decided to bring in Skelia to support that testing process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We decided to outsource not only to gain additional resources but also to make sure we were doing the best in class when it came to testing. We had 2 cross-platform apps that needed updates every 3 weeks for both app stores, so we asked Skelia to dive into the middle of that process. They performed regression and UI testing in advance of new updates.

The first app they worked on has a straightforward content-led structure and it doesn't change often, but the second app is much more involved. It requires user registration and offers dynamic content on a daily or weekly basis, so it needed quite a bit more testing and updating.

What is the team dynamic?

I had two primary contacts: the head of the testing team and the head of development. They worked with each other as well, and then I know they had a number of engineers who carried out the tests, but I didn't interact with any of them.

How did you come to work with Skelia?

From what I recall, they reached out to me and offered their services, and then we discussed in-house whether to take them up on it. For me, an outsourced testing partner needs to feel like a part of our team, so I asked a lot of questions to get a sense of how they'd interact with my development team. Given all the testing we had to do, the relationship wouldn't have worked for me if it was at arm's length. They made me feel very comfortable with their style of collaboration, so we did a few trial runs with our code to see how we'd work together. That went very well, so I was happy to move forward.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $30,000-40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them for around 1.5 years, starting in summer 2015. We're no longer working together, and that's no fault of theirs — we acquired additional funding and have now in-sourced the work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They definitely increased our performance. The number of bugs found by customers dropped dramatically once we started working with them. That was one metric I kept a close eye on for several months, and once we started working with Skelia there was a significant improvement in the quality of our releases to the app stores.

How did Skelia perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was seamlessly run. They're very professional, clear, and responded quickly whenever they encountered bugs or anomalies. I was also impressed with how they took feedback from us throughout the process. We mainly used video calls to keep in touch, as well as phone and email. We also occasionally used Trello and some of our own project management tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They gave me a lot of confidence that they were thorough and professional, which was particularly important to me given the testing we did. In a situation like this, you want to know that your partner cares as much about your products as you do. And I definitely felt that from them, especially from the members of the testing team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It took a while to reach a point where I was happy with the price negotiations for the project. This may be personal preference, but for me, it's important that we have a trial period before we start to negotiate the bill. In this case, we spent a bit of time deciding what to pay for those smaller test projects. To be fair to them, it's probably a function of the scale of their business, but if I was working with a larger company I'd expect them to put time and energy into selling the product to me before they request any payments. But I do understand that it's expensive to spend time and resources on a business like mine if I decide not to use them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I'd say to embrace the relationship. It's easy to look at your outsourced testing team and keep them at a distance, but integrating them deeper into your team is very valuable. Bring them in on a weekly or bi-monthly call as part of your production cycle. They're trustworthy, so rely on them like part of your team, because you'll have a better outcome.

5.0
Overall Score I can't think of anything negative whatsoever. I'm very happy with everything.
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
    They led us. We were new to the game, and they helped us set realistic expectations for how long things should take.
  • 4.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
    If we'd realized at the start that it would be a long-term project, we probably could’ve come up with single price instead of paying month to month.
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
    It was excellent — very fresh, clear, and free of mistakes.
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer
    The experience was great. I have no hesitation recommending them to anyone.